Fatimah Otunsanya
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has again criticised the Federal Government of Nigeria over alleged attacks targeting Christians in the country.
He threatened to withdraw financial support to Nigeria, saying the government had been ineffective in addressing the killings that have continued to plague the nation.
Trump made the remarks in an audio message aired on Fox News Radio’s The Brian Kilmeade Show on Friday.
In the recording, the US president accused Nigerian authorities of failing to curb the violence.
I think Nigeria is a disgrace. The whole thing is a disgrace. They are killing people by the thousands. It is a genocide, and I am really angry about it,” Trump said.
He further suggested that US financial support to Nigeria could be withdrawn if the alleged violence continue unchecked.
According to him, the crisis was largely ignored until he raised the alarm.
And we pay, you know, we give a lot of subsidy to Nigeria. We are going to end up stopping. The government has done nothing. They are very ineffective. They are killing Christians at will. You know, until I got involved in it two weeks ago, nobody even talked about it,” he added.
Trump had previously declared Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern over alleged killing of Christians, claiming that Christianity was “facing an existential threat” in the country.
He warned that if the Nigerian government failed to halt the killings, American response would be “fast, vicious, and sweet.”
His statements heightened tension in Nigeria, prompting the government to send a delegation to the US for consultations.
US Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth, met with Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who led the delegation, at the Pentagon on Thursday.
The Pentagon said Hegseth urged Nigeria to take decisive action against the growing attacks targeting Christians.
Additionally, US Congressman Riley Moore met with the Nigerian delegation on Wednesday night in Washington, DC, stating that discussions focused on counterterrorism collaboration and the protection of vulnerable communities. He described the talks as “frank, honest, and productive.”